ADVENT PONDERINGS

I am grateful for the Advent Meditation from Creighton Univ.

which enabled me to write the following.

Praying for Peace
Praying with our Mary

Changing the Way We Pray for Peace

All of us, at one time or another, have felt heart-sick about the war in the Middle East. Apart from all the dreaded politics, we know that war is a failure of peace. No matter how evil the enemy, or how critically necessary it might be to remove him, war is simply tragic and results in the death of thousands of innocent people, and scars thousands more - if not all of us in some way.

Most of the time, if we turn to God and beg for peace, it is difficult to know how to pray it. Our efforts may seem "futile." Can God really change the hearts of enough people to give peace a chance?

A Part of our Advent Longing

Part of our Advent longing will be to grow in our desire for peace - a hunger and thirst for it. During midnight Liturgy on Christmas eve, we will hear the angels say to the shepherds:

Do not be afraid; for behold,
I proclaim to you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people.

Let us embrace a desire for the Good News of Christmas grow in our hearts each day, during this Advent Season and the New Year that lies ahead. Let's feel the pain of "hostility" and fear and anxiety of all those who are in the middle of the terror of war - civilians, soldiers, and in our own hearts. As we feel this tremendous longing and hope, let's turn to God and ask for peace in our own hearts, and the hearts of so many struggling in the world. In these precious days of preparation, we can all be peace-makers at home, with our friends and relatives, in our parishes and faith communities and where we work. As we make our own efforts at peace around us, try turning to one of the Advent lessons that scripture gives us.

A Women of Faith

Whether we are a man or a woman, a little child, a teen, an adult, or aging, we can look to Mary in our longing for peace - in our hearts and in the world.

This photo of an Iraqi mother can help us turn to Mary in our Advent longing for peace. Mary was innocent in every way. Yet, her very fidelity to God would cost her the understanding of others. They could never understand her pregnancy. How could she tell them that "the holy Spirit of God has overshadowed me"? But, Joseph knew. Together, Mary and Joseph formed a community of incredible faith in God's way. They would be at God's service - suffering, as all servants do. Mary's trust in God was so deep that she gave birth to the Prince of Peace. The intimacy between this mother and her child was so profound, that the lance that pierced his heart on the cross, would pass through her heart first. This humble mother trusted that nothing would be impossible with God.

In what places in our lives do we ask, "How can this be"? There are impossible barriers to peace. How do we say that we just can't see how it is possible to believe in the power of God - here in our hearts, in our homes, among our families and friends, at work, among these peoples? How are we being invited to respond, "May it be done to me according to your word"? How can we be faithful to being in God's service - and not be so worried about what people think of us? And in our growing desire to be more intimate with Jesus in our everyday life, in what concrete ways, with what particular persons, can we let the pattern of His life transform our lives? How can we hurry to support others, while finding the community of faith we need to be faithful servants in Jesus' own mission?

Let there be Peace on Earth!

The angels announce to the shepherds:

Glory be to God in the highest;
on earth peace; good will toward all

Let us all continue to pray for peace in our world. Let's pray that hearts might be transformed, to find the path of peace together. But, as we pray, let's let peace have a chance in our own hearts, in our own world, close at home. The peace-making begins with God's work in us. This is truly Advent longing.

Let there be peace on earth,
and let it begin with me!